Partners
by md102
Summary: FBI Agent Regina Mills and Forensic Anthropologist Emma Swan work together to solve gruesome crimes despite their initial hatred for each other. But as they learn more about each other, that hatred transforms into something else. Based on Bones in which Regina is Booth and Emma is Bones.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hey everyone, So I'm still updating Just Another Love Story, so no worries. But this idea just came to me all of the sudden. In this,_**  
**_Regina is essentially Booth from Bones while Emma is Brennan._**  
**_However, while this chapter follows the first episode pretty closely,_**  
**_that won't be the case for the whole story. Both Emma and Regina will likely have different back stories, and their personalities will be more like their personalities in OUAT. That being said, I I love a lot of the humorous subplots and interactions in Bones and will probably be getting a lot of inspiration from my favorite episodes._**

* * *

Ruby glanced up at the arrivals board at Dulles and swore under her breath as the screen wavered in and out.

"Um...there's something wrong with the arrivals board," she shouted out to no one in particular. None of the hundreds of people in her vicinity even glanced her way. "Figures," she huffed in exasperation. She knew she was running late and could only hope her friend hadn't decided to take a cab home. That would so be something Emma would do. Finally she walked up to the counter.

"Excuse me," Ruby began in her most flirtatious voice, but was cut off by the man throwing up his hand as he continued to type. Ruby rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, I just have a question about the flight from Guatemala-"

"What part of 'wait a minute' do you not understand?" said the man testily, not even glancing up at Ruby.

Ruby sighed, exasperated and in one smooth motion ripped open the top four buttons of her shirt, revealing a lacy corset that exposed about half her ample breasts. She smirked as the asshole at the counter was rendered speechless and stared at her like he was seeing his first half-naked woman _(and maybe he was_, thought Ruby)_._ Though, to be fair to him, she hadn't really given him the opportunity to be much smoother.

"Right...so that flight from Guatemala?"

"Seriously Rubes?" said an amused voice behind her. "Please tell me you tried 'excuse me' first."

"Sweetie!" Rubes launched herself at Emma. "Of course I did! This was just more effective."

"It always is," laughed Emma. "Though I'm guessing you found a way to deal with my absence, what with having the apartment to yourself for about a month."

"I didn't do anything like that...or at least not a lot of it." Ruby scoffed. "I was commissioned to do a few nude paintings though." she added as an afterthought.

Emma looked at her incredulously. "Please don't tell me this was in our apartment."

"Well I don't exactly have a studio unless you think I could have done them at the Jeffersonian. I'm sure that would have gone down well."

"Yeah, but now I don't trust any of the surfaces in our apartment."

Ruby shrugged. "Probably a good rule of thumb." Emma rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the amused grin off her face. As fascinating as it was examining bones from ancient tribes in Guatemala, it was definitely good to be back home. Emma almost groaned at the thought of actual running water and porcelain toilets instead of holes in the ground.

But as they began to walk towards the exit, Emma felt a prickle and the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. Honed instincts from years of foster care sensed the threat. She whipped around.

"Why are you following us?" She said practically in the face of the large well built man in a suit. He didn't respond but instead grabbed her arm. She instinctively twisted his arm and forced him to the ground.

"HELLO! IS THERE ANY SECURITY AROUND HERE?" Ruby screamed out. "Yeah, Emma, kick his ass!" Ruby whacked the already incapacitated man on the head with her purse for good measure.

"I'm homeland security!" He yelled as he struggled to free himself. Emma immediately let go of the guy.

"Ok, clearly there's been some misunderstanding!" she shouted at the 20 or so men with guns who had surrounded them. "He didn't even identify himself! He could have been about to kidnap me for fuck's sake."

The man stood up angrily, trying to hold on to a modicum of dignity.

"Give me your bag, ma'am," he growled. Emma sighed. That's what this is about?

He grabbed her briefcase and opened it. With a high pitched girly scream that made even some of his men snicker, he dropped the bag as a very real human skull rolled out.

"Boo." Emma grinned. Ruby just rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Ok, so this is so not how I wanted to spend my first few hours back in DC." Emma said with a roll of her eyes. She was in an airport interrogation room, and although she wasn't handcuffed, the man she had earlier brought to the ground was sitting in front of her with a scowl on his face and handcuffs in his hand, clearly itching to use them. Ruby, after seeing the trouble Emma was in and realizing she was free to go, airily waved goodbye and promised to meet her at the apartment. _Thanks a lot, Rubes._

_"_Well maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to illegally transport human remains," said the man. Emma rolled her eyes again.

"Look," she said in a falsely sweet tone. I'm sorry I beat you up in front of your friends, but next time identify yourself. I'd have been happy to answer any of your questions."

The man turned slightly red. "I don't think you realize how much trouble you're in, Ms. Swan -"

"Dr. Swan." Emma wasn't usually an asshole about making sure everyone knew her credentials, but she wasn't about to take any more crap from this guy. He looked taken aback as he looked at her white tank top, red leather jacket and skinny jeans up and down. Emma smirked at his incredulous expression and continued. "I have a permit to carry human body parts, due to my job as a forensic anthropologist."

"I'm pretty sure that permit doesn't extend to carrying human skulls in your backpack, Dr. Swan," said a husky, overtly feminine voice behind her that Emma knew all too well. She didn't even bother looking around and instead let out a loud groan and let her face fall in her hands. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Can this day get any worse?"

"Not my best day either, trust me Dr. Swan," said the woman as she strode in like she owned the place. Emma groaned again.

_Agent Regina Mills. _The more forgiving said she wasprobably the best agent the Bureau had ever seen with one of the highest closing rates of anyone. Her less than warm personality and tough as nails attitude was her way of surviving as a young woman in a male dominated profession.

The rest just called her a bitch.

Emma tended to fall in the second category even though she had only worked with her once before. The two had gotten in a screaming match almost immediately, and even though they solved the case, Emma promised herself she would never work with the woman ever again.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma asked wearily.

"Saving you," Regina replied smoothly. Emma looked up at her in suspicion. As always, Regina looked her best, in simple black slacks and a white button down shirt (top 3 buttons opened) tucked in, showing off her slim, athletic build. Her weaponry hung loosely at her side, and although Emma had never seen the woman use it, her marksmanship was legendary. Her short, perfectly coiffed hair hung to her shoulders and her plump red lips were twisted into a smirk.

"I'll take it from here," The man scowled at her but acquiesced without another word. Emma had no idea if things got better or worse for her. It didn't look like she was going to be arrested, but she was vaguely certain that Regina absolutely loathed her. Whatever. The feeling was mutual.

"So, Doctor," said Regina in a bored voice as she gestured to Emma. "Shall we?"

* * *

Emma looked over at her companion from the passenger seat of the standard issue SUV, her brilliant mind working a mile a minute. "Oh my god," she finally got it. "Oh my god! This was all a set up! You need me for something and set this whole fucking thing up!"

"Well, if you hadn't been carrying a human skull in your messenger bag, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to set you up." said Regina all too smugly.

Emma scowled angrily. "You're a piece of work, Mills."

"I went through the normal channels," Regina defended herself. "But that - " her mouth curled in distaste. "artist you work with was being uncooperative." Emma laughed outright at that one. If possible, Ruby hated Regina even more than Emma.

"Well after the last case, I asked her not to put your calls through. Believe it or not, we aren't at the beck and call of the FBI."

Regina rolled her eyes, a gesture that looks childish on everyone else but manages to be regal on her.

"Look, we found a body. Advanced stages of decomposition. As creepy as it is, that seems to be your thing."

"Well looks like you have to find someone else whose 'thing' it is."

* * *

Regina was irritated. After being rebuffed by that bitch at the Jeffersonian (perhaps she shouldn't have been so very rude to that artist girl with bare midriffs and inappropriately short skirts), she decided to organize this whole affair at the airport. The truth is, Regina was - and she really hated to admit it - desperate. This was a position she hated to be in. But when a body turns up in the Arlington Cemetery lake and all the top FBI forensic team are stumped, Regina knew that she would have to bring in the best. Even if it did involve a bit of grovelling on her part.

"Dr. Swan," she began as magnanimously as possible.

"If you don't let me out, I'm screaming 'KIDNAP' out the window."

Regina pulled over and before she could say anything, Emma was out.

"Seriously, Dr. Swan? Are you a child?" shouted Regina as she jumped out of the car and sprinted after her.

"You're a condescending ungracious bitch who doesn't know how to ask for a favor if it would save your life," Emma bit out as she kept walking.

Regina laughed. "Please, tell me what you really think of me."

"Trust me, I'm holding back."

"Dr. Swan, I get it. You hate me and trust me, the feeling is mutual. But I'm hoping that despite all the evidence to the contrary, you have an ounce of professionalism."

"See!" Dr. Swan stopped and whirled around. " That's what I'm talking about! Do you really think I'll help you now?"

Regina closed her eyes, praying for patience. "I'm sorry. What I meant to say is that I hope we can _both_ be professionals. Despite everything, I know you're actually intrigued. Admit it, you actually love working cases."

Emma scoffed, hating how right Regina was. "Maybe, but the company seems to be less than desirable."

"Dr. Swan, you are the best. And I am the best. Imagine what we could do if we overcame our...differences and worked together."

Emma still looked skeptical. Regina pressed the bridge of her nose, feeling the beginnings of a migraine. "What would it take for you and your brain trust to help me catch a killer?"

Emma thought for a second. What would it take? And then she had it. "Full participation, not just in a lab in the field too."

"Are you joking?" Regina scoffed. "That's unheard of! You wouldn't know the first thing about working in the field. Plus I could never get my higher ups to agree."

"Please, everyone knows that you're BFFs with the Deputy Director Gold." Regina bit her lip to stop from retorting. Her relationship with Gold was...complicated.

"Fine, if I can convince him to let you accompany me in the field, there are some ground rules. Actually there is only one. You do exactly as I say at all times. You may not speak without my permission, and if I see fit, I will ask you to leave at any point. You are not to conduct any part of the investigation by yourself. Do I make myself clear? And before you get angry and call me a control freak or whatever vulgar names you use, this is primarily for your own safety."

Emma nodded solemnly. "I agree to those terms."

Regina smirked. "Well Dr. Swan, it looks like we're partners."


	2. Chapter 2

**Clarification on Emma is Brennan and Regina is Booth: Some people think it should have been the other way around and I see their point. But honestly, it is way more fun for me to write it like this. Also, I think this actually makes sense. Emma, like Brennan, is a foster child who has always wondered about the parents who abandoned her (later I do plan on bringing David and Mary Margaret into the story as her long lost parents). She also has a hard time opening up to people but has a few friends she can really rely on. Regina, like Booth, has a difficult relationship with her parents and is pretty fierce in guarding what she loves as well. Plus, they both look hot in a suit :) **

**None of this is meant to be a perfect parallel, nor will Regina and Emma be exactly like Booth and Brennan. They will have different personalities. But if someone else writes the same story the other way around, I'd love to read it.**

* * *

"What the hell is she doing here?" Ruby asked as Emma swiped both her and Regina on to the platform.

"Ms. Lucas," Regina said stiffly.

"Agent Mills," Ruby replied with a bite in her tone. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Knock it off you guys." Emma turned to Ruby. "We're helping out on an FBI case again. Agent Mills' case to be exact."

Ruby snorted. "Yeah...sure..." she looks at both women and realizes no one is joking. "Seriously?! Do you remember how horrible she was last time?"

"Dr. Swan and I have...temporarily set aside our differences," said Regina smoothly. "We acknowledged that mistakes were made on both parts." Emma turned to her in disbelief.

"Mistakes on both parts?! I was completely right the entire fucking time! _You _fired _me._"

"After you assaulted a judge! You could have blown up the entire case with your recklessness and he would have gotten away with it!"

"Without me, you wouldn't have gotten the evidence to convict him!"

"I knew it was him the entire time and you almost cost me the case and lost both our jobs in the process!"

"Ok, you guys!" Ruby was the one who intervened this time. "Let's get back to the problem at hand." she turned to Regina. "You want us to help on another case?"

"I believe I said that."

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, trying to summon her patience. "Ok, if you'll be asking us for help, then you should probably work on being more polite."

Regina sighed. "Fine." She put on a clearly insincere smile. "Dr. Swan, would you like to accompany me to the crime scene? I understand you wish to be more involved in field work."

Emma returned the smile. "Of course. I doubt any of your so-called FBI scientists would be of any help. You'll actually need me if you want to have any hope of solving this case."

Regina rolled her eyes. "I forgot your obnoxious arrogance and inflated opinion of your abilities." Those were empty words and everyone knew it. Emma's arrogance was well-founded. She was after all widely acknowledged as the one of the country's (if not the world's) most brilliant forensic anthropologists. Regina was no slouch intellectually, but even she had to admire Emma's brain.

"It looks like the pot's calling the kettle black." Emma smirked. "Though I suppose I at least can back it up."

"Let's just go, doctor." said Regina through gritted teeth.

* * *

"So what exactly am I supposed to be looking at?" Emma and Regina stood in a small motor boat looking through the images from an underwater camera.

"Well, Swan," Regina, almost sensually leaned in and whispered in her ear. "It's like pornography. You'll know it when you see it." Emma couldn't help but smirk.

"Wait, I see something." Emma squinted at the image being projected and barely made out the decomposed skull. The man driving the boat grimaced, but both Emma and Regina kept a neutral face as they stared at the remains.

"What can you tell me?" Regina asked impassively.

"Female, mid-twenties. blunt force trauma to the head. I'll have to examine the remains to know anything more." Regina nodded, once again spellbound by how Emma knew so much from just a grainy image.

"Fine. The body's yours. I'm going to meet with the deputy director and decide next steps. Focus on the autopsy till then."

Emma twitched at being ordered around, especially by the likes of Regina Mills. But she refrained from saying anything. This was after all Regina's case, and she had gotten lucky when Regina agreed to take her out in the field. So she gritted her teeth and nodded. Regina nodded as well, seemingly satisfied and walked away.

* * *

"You invited a civilian out in the field with you? My, looks like Agent Mills is getting soft." Regina bristled at Deputy Director Gold's tone. He was her unofficial mentor since her academy days. He molded her and guided her. Helped her distance herself from her turbulent past and resulting anger. He was the reason she was one of the best agents the Bureau had. He was also the reason most people called her the "Evil Queen."

Nevertheless, Regina knew the huge debt she owed him. But that didn't mean she had to necessarily like him.

"It's the only way she would even agree to help us."

"Is she really so vital to the investigation?"

Regina didn't even have to think about that question. "The body is mostly decomposed and the victim was probably killed last spring. We don't have the forensic expertise to deal with something like that. But she does. I'd say she's essential."

"What makes you put so much stock in her, dearie?"

"The last case I did with her, she was able to tell age, sex,cause of death, and the fact that she was an opera singer, all from just her x-rays. She was right on every single count. She's arrogant, uncouth and unpredictable. But she's pretty incredible too."

Gold nodded, impressed. "Well, I'll give you permission, but if she puts one toe out of line, this will be your responsibility."

Regina nodded stiffly. _Please don't screw this up for me, Swan._

* * *

"Does she look familiar to anyone?" Emma asked, squinting at the holographic image. Through Ruby's program, they had placed bone markers on the skull and were currently reconstructing the victims face. Regina would rather eat glass than say it out loud, but she had to admit it was pretty impressive.

"Can't say I do, love," Killian drawled in his Irish accent. "Though she's pretty hot. Reminds me of a girl I met in Cancun -"

"Not helpful, Jones," said Ruby rolling her eyes. "What about you, Jefferson?" Jefferson peered at the image, his brilliant mind moving at warp speed, but sadly coming up short. "I do not recognize her. Though I also am less versed in current affairs past the industrial revolution."

"Give her half Caucasian and half African American genetic markers," Emma ordered, not taking her eyes of the image. Ruby nodded and complied as the holographic image shimmered and then transformed.

Regina's eyes widened, the face now all too recognizable.

"Ok, I have definitely seen her somewhere before," said Emma.

"Hang on," an unusually serious expression came across Killian's face as he studied the face. "Isn't she that intern who went missing a year ago? Her face was plastered all over the news."

"Cleo Eller, only daughter to Ted and Sharon Eller," said Regina quietly. Everyone turned to face her. "Last seen on June 6th 2012 by her father at dinner, approximately 9pm. She went missing shortly after."

"Wasn't she sleeping with Senator Alan Bethlehem?" Ruby asked. Regina rolled her eyes. Trust the girl who dressed like a prostitute to remember the more sordid details of the case.

"That was never officially confirmed. She was dating the campaign manager at the time."

Emma studied Regina intently. "Pretty good memory for a case from one year ago."

Regina swallowed. "Well, it was my job to find her."

"Well," drawled Killian. "Congratulations on a job well done."

Regina sighed. "I didn't exactly want for it to end up like this."

* * *

"You bitch!" Emma shouted as she chased after Regina in the Jeffersonian gardens. "I knew you'd go back on your word."

"Look Swan," said Regina impatiently. "This isn't a normal case anymore. A senator is involved, which already means more scrutiny. Its too high profile. We're doing this by the book. Squints in the lab and agents in the field."

Emma was livid. How could she have trusted the woman for more than one second? But then she smiled.

"Fine. Then I'll issue a Jeffersonian press release stating that we've found the remains of Cleo Eller and are launching a formal investigation into the death."

Regina stopped and turned around slowly. If Emma was a lesser person, Regina's glare would have turned her into a puddle on the ground. As it was, she smirked cockily and stood her ground.

"If you do that, then you will blow this investigation wide open. I would arrest you for impeding a criminal investigation!"

Emma scoffed. "The Jeffersonian is independent. You can't stop us from talking to the press. But I might be persuaded otherwise if you stick by our original agreement."

"So you're blackmailing a federal agent?" Regina's eyebrows rose as she crossed her arms.

Emma thought about it for a minute. "Yes."

"I don't like it."

Emma snorted. "I'm fairly certain you're not supposed to."

Regina clenched her fists and screwed her eyes shut. "Fine. you're in. First step is to go talk to Gold. I recommend you not speak. He hates squints, even when they are in the lab."

Emma grinned smugly. "Lead the way."

* * *

"This is a nightmare," Gold seethed. "We have to keep this under wraps as long as possible before that bastard lawyer of Bethlehem's finds out we reopened the investigation. Was he fucking her?"

Emma started at the language, but Regina didn't bat an eyelid. "Not confirmed, but we all know that Bethlehem's reputation."

"He look good for this?"

Regina bit her lower lip. "I don't think so. He cheats on his wife, but he would never take this big a risk."

"Maybe he hired someone?" offered Emma, fully expecting to be shot down. Instead Regina considered what she said for a second.

"That's still too big a risk, but we shouldn't rule it out." She replied.

Gold nodded. "Tread lightly, Regina. Senators don't like being investigated." Regina nodded. "What's the next step?"

Regina took a deep breath in. "I'd like to inform her family that her body has been found."

"The girl's been missing for over a year now. You really think a few days will make a difference? We have to keep this under wraps."

Emma seethed. From her own torture in wondering what happened to her parents all those years ago, she knew exactly what it felt like to never know the truth and would never let someone live a day longer than they should not knowing. So she felt like cheering when Regina replied, "With all due respect Gold, I've gotten to know the family and I don't think it would jeopardize the investigation to finally give them some closure."

Gold sighed. "Fine. But remember, a lot is riding on this case. Best not screw it up."

Regina nodded stiffly and both she and Emma left the room.

"Wow, is he always that cheerful?" Emma asked sarcastically. "What's next?"

Regina sighed, already tired of her talkative companion. "We notify the family. I expect you to stay silent during that part."


End file.
